Loose-leaf binder



May 15, 1923. I 1,454,869

} C. D. TRUSSELL LOOSE LEAF BINDER Filed June 16, 1922 Patented May 15, 1923.

UNEFED SATES CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL, OF POUGHKEEFSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TRUSSELL iasasea earner @FWQE.

MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

LOOSE-LEAF BINDER.

Application filed June 16, 1922. Serial No. 568,687.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CLARnNon D. TRUs- SELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Binders, of'which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to loose-leaf binders of the ring type, in which the loose leaves are impaled on half rings or hooks mounted on back plates or other mounting, whereby they may be opened or closed at will, the usual and preferable construction being one whereby spring pressure is applied to press the half rings together when closed, or hold them apart when opened. a

The particular feature to which the pres ent invention is directed is aligning means engaging the inner edges of the sheets within the hooks, so as to hold the perforations in the sheets (which are made larger than the hooks) pressed outwardly into such close engagement with the hooks as to hold the sheets or leaves firmly when the hooks are closed to form complete rings, and the ring book is laid open. Such aligners,, as applied to such loose-leaf books of the ring type, are set forth and claimed broadly in my reissued Patent No. 15,322, reissued March 28, 1922 (original Patent No. 1,180,342, dated April 25, 1916).

According to the present invention the aligners are made each in two sections, so that when the book is laid open one section engages the leaves or sheets of the righthand page, and the other those of the lefthand page. A space or gap is formed between them, which gives a better appear ance to the book. The aligner sections are made adjustable, so that they may be adapted to leaves or sheets having the perforations punched at varying distances from the inner margin.

The improved construction is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein,-

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the back portion of the book showing one ring and its mounting, the half rings or hooks being closed together to form a complete rin Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing only the metal elements and illustrating a somewhat different embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 4: is a fragmentary plan of part of Fig. 3, the aligners being in section on the line 4+4;

Fig. 5 is a section showing the attachment for the aligners, taken'on the line 5-5 in Fig. 4; I

Figs. 6 and 7 show another construction, Fig. 6 being a section on the same plane as Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 being a perspective view of one of the aligner sections;v v

In Figs. 1 and 2, A is the book cover and B, as a whole, is the loose-leaf binding means applied thereto. The important fea-' ture of this binding means is the'provision of half rings or hooks C C, whiclnwhen closed together, form a substantially complete ring, as shown in Fig. 1, these half rings or hooks being provided with anysuitable mounting and any suitable means for holding them in their closed or open positions, these means being according to any of the constructions employed in the ring binder art. A suitable construction is that shown, which includes hook plates D D to which the hooks are attached, the plates being hinged together in any suitable way at their inner edges so as to 'have'a rocking engagement, and engaged at their outer edges within inturned flangesofa spring back plate E, which, by exerting inward pressure against the outer edges of the plates D, D, acts, when the hooks are closed, to press them together, and, when the hooks are opened or separated, to hold them apart, in manner well understood. It is common to provide such binders with a top plate F which covers the hook plates and makes a neat finish, and also serves as a support for the punched or perforated marginal portions of the sheets or leaves. These latter are the tops and bottoms of the sheets a, or

reasonably near to the end rings. The function of the aligners is to bear against the inner edges or margins of the sheets or leaves and hold them outward, so as to take up the looseness in their perforations (which have to be made somewhat larger than the hooks whereby when the book is la d open, shown, the leaves are hell lirinly in place, so that a person may u u on or otherwise use the leaves without their either shifting around or having to be held in place by hand.

According to the present invention, the aligner G- is made essentially ct two parts or sections confined respectively to the right and left-hand sides of he binder, as shown, and so as to leave between them a gap or opening 02 at the top. As the essential function of the aligner is performed only when the book is laid open, and then with respect only to the leaves or sheets -yingg; in substantially flat location to right or left, it is apparent that this function cannot be performed at the top. ilereio'lore al *ers oi my invention have been extended ver the top in one continuous loop, with a view to utilizing this part of the alinger to guide the sheets in turning over the leaves. That function of the aligner is not availed of in the present construction, by reason oi the omission of the top part ot the aligner at the gap 00.

The aligner is made of cient stiffness, and yet oi it may be adjusted slightly by bending. It may be made in one piece, as shown i... Figs. 1 and 2, and fastened by riveting or otherwise to the top plate 19. Or it may be made in two separate pieces as shown in Figs. 3 to 5, and Figs. 6 and 1. In either case the right and left sides or sections of the aligner perform the same function, and in either case these portions maybe adjusted by bending to bring them into correct relation with the inner margins of the sheets or leaves. It is desirable that the distance between the outer face of each aligner section, and the inner face of the adjacent hook C, shall, when measured in the planes in which the leaves lie, be exactly equal to the distance between the margin of each leaf and its pertoration; when his condition exists the leaves are held firmly when the book. is laid open, and yet they are free to turn in running; over the pages ot the book.

There is no absolute standard in the punching of leaves for ring books, and it may happen that a user having bought a ring binder from one niauutacturer. may desire to use it with leaves obtained rroni a stationer, the punching of which differs slightly from the dimension intended by the manufacturer of the binde sheet metal ot su'liisuch phability that in this case the .th respect to the dimensions above stated wi binder, and the leaf punchlngs, may not ree, so that the leaves are held too tightly, that they tend to wedge in place, or are v.eld so loosely that the function of the ligner nirtly lost. In such case with the present improvement the user may bend the half sections of the aligner outwardly or inwardly, so as to vary the dimensions between their outer aces and the inner faces of the hooks, and thereby bring them to a correct fit with the punched sheets or leaves. tihis function may be more perfectly periormed by forming the alinger sections as separate pieces, as shown, for example, in Figs. 3 to 5, where the aligner sections G G are distinct, each having a base portion lying z. inst the top plate F and clamped or clinched ightly thereto by means of a fastenin plate H beneath it, having prongs or cars i, pas up through slots J in the top te F, anil clinched down upon the bases i ie sections G G so as to clamp them tightl and immovably in place. When these sections require adjustment they av be tapped outwardly or inwardly, as

in v be required, or the ears I, I may be tly loosened or'slightly turned up to retheir engagement with the sections, a d 'l'ter adjustment of the latter may then be driven down again into tight clinching geinent therewith. .Qo insure suilicient freedom of motion, and particulary when the adjustment of the aligg ner sections is accomplished solely by bending, it is preferable that the lower portion of each section, abut-ting the few leaves nearest the side covers-oi the book, be made a somewhat looser lit with the leaves than the remaining portion. Thus, it the binder is required to be usedwith leaves punched wi h a wider than those for which the aligner was made, and it is adjusted thereto by bending its sections, the greater space afforded near it-sjunction with the top plate prevents the few leaves nearest the top plate from being jammed between the aligners and the hooks or half rings.

Another construction is shown in Figs. 6 an l '7, where the sections (only one ot which is shown, lettered G are formed with downturned s K which pass down through slots L in the top plate and are turned or clinched thereunder as shown. This fastening may all'ord the same adjustment as in Fig. 3, by making the slots L somewhat longer than the width of the ears K; or by making the slots of the same width as the ears, the bases of the sections G will be fastened iminovably to the same effect as it riveted down. i

One advantage of the present construction is that it makes the ring book more attraclive in appearance, especially when in use, because the gap or omitted portion w enables the user to look down through to the top plate, which affords the finish, instead of r: an

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having this view obstructed by the two or more arches formed by the aligners as heretofore constructed. When the book is fairly well filled with leaves and opened to approximately the'middle, the aligner sections are not noticeable. It is preferable to incurve the upper edges of the two sections of the aligner as shown at c, to prevent the edges of the leaves catching against the edges of the aligner sections in turning over the leaves.

The aligners according to the present invention should be made of sheet-metal of sufficient stiffness to hold its form in use, although this does not exclude the use, of sufficiently resilient metal so that the aligners would yield slightly and maintain a constant outward pressure against the margins of the leaves. The invention may be availed of if the aligner sections are either substantially rigid or slightly yielding or elastic.

While the described embodiments of the invention are considered the preferable ones,

"yet it will be understood that it may be otherwise constructed if desired, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention 1. In a loose-leaf binder of the ring type, an aligner for the inner margins of the sheets, consisting of two lateral curved portions, with a central gap or opening between them at the top.

2. In a loose-leaf binder of the ring type, an aligner for .the inner margins of the sheets, consisting of curved plates fastened at bottom and free atthetop, and adapted to be adjusted by bending to vary their relation to the rings. I

3. In a loose-leaf binder of the ring type, an aligner for the inner margins of the sheets, consisting of curved plates fastened at bottom and free at the top, andadapted to be adjusted toward or from eachother.

4. A loose-leaf binder of the ring type, having an aligner for the inner margins of the sheets, consisting of curved plates fastened at bottom and free at the top, the bottom fastenings adapted to permit them to be adjusted toward .or from each other.

5. A loose-leaf binder of the ring type, formed with a top plate, and having an aligner for the inner margins of thesheets consisting of curved plates fastened at bottom to said top plate and freeat their tops, and adapted to be adjusted toward or from each other.

6. A loose-leaf binder of the ring type having a top plate, and aligners consisting each of two separate curved plates with their bottom portions fastened adjustablyto said top plate.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL. 

